2015 KTM 1290 Super Adventure – First Look

With 131 horsepower and 80 lb-ft of torque at the rear wheel, few would accuse KTM’s 1190 Adventure of being down on power. But for some, a lot of power just isn’t enough. And for those intrepid souls KTM will offer a larger-displacement model called the 1290 Super Adventure, which will be sold alongside the 1190 Adventure and 1190 Adventure R for the upcoming 2015 model year.

The new model will not be officially announced until the Intermot show in Cologne, Germany, on September 30, 2014, so for now, details are few and far between. But we’re confident that the Super Adventure will be powered by a version of the 1,301cc V-twin that powers the 1290 Super Duke R, which KTM claims makes 177.5 horsepower at the crank. That could mean well over 140 horsepower at the rear wheel for the Super Adventure, ahead of the current adventure-bike horsepower leader, Ducati’s Multistrada 1200, which made 139 horsepower on Jett Tuning’s dyno during our last road test.

Compared to the 1190’s V-twin, which displaces 1,195cc and has bore/stroke dimensions of 105.0 x 69.0mm, the 1290’s 106cc bump in displacement comes courtesy of a larger bore (108mm) and a longer stroke (71mm).

KTM’s brief press release contains a few hints, such as “an incredibly large fuel tank will mean long durations before the need to stop,” so fuel capacity may be higher than the 6.1 gallons on the 1190 Adventure. The release also confirms that the Super Adventure will be equipped with Motorcycle Stability Control (MSC), the lean-angle sensitive ABS system that debuted on the 1190 Adventure for 2014, and goes on to say the new model “will feature absolutely unique electronically supported riding assistance equipment.” That has our interest piqued, for sure.

Details on technical specs, pricing and availability will have to wait until the official announcement at the end of September, so stay tuned.

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